The Armenian Weekly On-Line
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
armenianweekly@hairenik.com
menianweekly.com
The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 45; Nov. 10, 2007
News:
1. Turkish PM: No Genocide, ‘We Even Gave the Armenian Deportees Pocket
Money’
By Khatchig Mouradian
2. Nalbandian Visits HMEM Center in Buenos Aires
3. Homenetmen Holds 32nd Regional Convention
***
1. Turkish PM: No Genocide, ‘We Even Gave the Armenian Deportees Pocket
Money’
By Khatchig Mouradian
WASHINGTON-On Nov. 5, after meeting with President Bush, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech at the National Press Club in
Washington, speaking mainly of U.S.-Turkish relations, the Kurdish issue and
the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106.
In his speech, Erdogan said that "it is sad for us to see" the introduction
of a resolution that "renders legitimacy to the so-called Armenian
genocide." He stressed that the resolution "has the potential to deeply
damage our strategic relations and it is important to ensure that is not
discussed on the floor of Congress."
"In fact, these Armenian allegations which are being kept constantly on the
agenda in various countries have not been proven historically or legally,"
Erdogan continued, repeating his call for a joint historical commission to
examine what happened to the Armenians in 1915. When Erdogan suggested the
idea of a "joint commission" in 2005, the International Association of
Genocide Scholars (IAGS) sent him an open letter which read: "We are
concerned that in calling for an impartial study of the Armenian Genocide
you may not be fully aware of the extent of the scholarly and intellectual
record on the Armenian Genocide. . We want to underscore that it is not just
Armenians who are affirming the Armenian Genocide but it is the overwhelming
opinion of scholars who study genocide: hundreds of independent scholars."
Yet, at the National Press Club this week, Erdogan said he was sure there
was never a genocide of the Armenians. "What took place was called
deportation," he said. "That was a very difficult time. It was a time of
war."
The Armenians, he argued, were provoked by other countries to rebel, leading
to Ottoman Turkish government’s decision "to start deporting the Armenian
citizens to other parts of the Empire."
To show how well the Armenian deportees were treated, Erdogan-who made no
reference to the killing of any Armenian-went so far as to say that the
Ottoman government even provided the Armenians with pocket money. ".And we
have documents in our archives which attest to this fact," he said.
"There are all sorts of instructions about how people should be sent from
one area to another, how much money is to be paid to them as pocket money as
they travel. Those who counter [our thesis] must come up with their own
documents, but there are no documents that they can show," he charged.
A Leading Turkish Historian Responds
The Armenian Weekly contacted Turkish-born historian and sociologist Taner
Akcam, professor of history at the University of Minnesota and author of A
Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish
Responsibility, to comment on Erdogan’s allegation.
"I haven’t seen any single Ottoman document that shows that money was given
to Armenians," Akcam said. "It is, indeed, true that the central government
sent money to the regional authorities to cover the expenses of the
deportations. Part of the revenues from plundering the possessions of the
Armenians and auctioning them was used by the government to finance the
deportations."
Furthermore, Akcam said, "There is ample evidence that in the Eastern
Anatolian regions like Eskishehir, Afyon and Konya, Armenians were partially
‘transported’ by train and were made to pay for their own tickets.
—————————————– ———————————–
————– —–
2. Nalbandian Visits HMEM Center in Buenos Aires
Last month, Argentinean-Armenian tennis player David Nalbandian visited the
Homenetment (HMEM) Center in Buenos Aires, where the Armenian Ambassador to
Argentina, representatives of the Armenian Church in Argentina,
representatives of the HMEM, tennis players of all ages and about 50 HMEM
members welcomed him.
The Armenian Ambassador invited Nalbandian to participate in an upcoming
international tennis tournament in Yerevan. He said Nalbandian’s
participation in the tournament would give it a unique character.
Accepting the invitation, Nalbandian said, "Most probably I will participate
in this tournament, which will take place in Yerevan. I will never forget
those days when I played tennis with my compatriots at the Homenetmen
Center."
————————- ————————————————– –
———–
3. Homenetmen Holds 32nd Regional Convention
In parallel to the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of its
founding, the Homenetmen (HMEM) of the Eastern Region held its Regional
Convention from Oct. 26-28 at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham.
During the three days of the convention, representatives from all chapters
discussed the activities of the previous executive board, whose members held
their positions for two years; outlined the planned activities for the next
two years; and elected a new executive board.
After hearing the executive board’s report, the meeting’s evaluation of the
board was a positive one, especially given the difficult circumstances under
which the board functioned.
The large numbers of young HMEM members among the representatives inspired
the attendees, and instilled hope in the brightness of the future of the
organization.
The meeting focused on the execution of the union’s educational and scouting
plans. It was emphasized that education should play a large role in the HMEM
alongside scouting and athletic activities.
The representatives also heard a special report on the legal case filed
against Raffi Donabedian, who recently stole large amounts of money from the
organization.
At the end of the convention, the representatives elected a new executive
board. They are: Varoujan Jindoyan, Hratch Mesrobian, Vahe Tanashian, Robert
Kalantari, Ara Margosian, Levon Sahagian and Yeran Simonian.